A pair of Western Conference foes with lots of history together will go head-to-head on Tuesday night as the Dallas Mavericks battle it out with the Los Angeles Clippers in an attempt to catapult themselves up the respective standings. Let's check out our NBA odds series where our Mavericks-Clippers prediction and pick will be revealed.

After a successful run that recently saw the Mavericks endure a seven-game winning streak to put themselves in the thick of the upper-echelon of teams in the West, Dallas has since lost two of their last three games including an eleven-point loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City. With a record of 23-18 and currently sitting 4.5 games back of the Grizzlies for first place in their division, the time is now for the Mavs to begin another winning streak.

Before anyone could blink, the Los Angeles Clippers now find themselves with a 21-21 record after a six-game losing streak that has been extremely ugly at times. With a sense of instability within the availability of LA's top players in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers must find a way to find productive minutes from even the most unlikely of heroes this evening against the Mavericks.

Here are the Mavericks-Clippers NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NBA Odds: Mavericks-Clippers Odds

Dallas Mavericks: -1.5 (-112)

Los Angeles Clippers: +1.5 (-108)

Over: 223.5 (-110)

Under: 223.5 (-110)

How To Watch Mavericks vs. Clippers

TV: Bally Sports SoCal, Bally Sports San Diego, Bally Sports Southwest

Stream: NBA League Pass

Time: 6:30 ET/9:30 PT

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread

In order for the Mavericks to cover the spread versus a downwards-trending Clippers squad, Dallas must avoid shooting themselves in the foot. After being held to only 109 points in the loss to Oklahoma City, the Mavs also committed 13 turnovers and often did not take advantage of the Thunder's limitations on the hardwood. Of course, it also didn't help whatsoever that Luka Doncic was held out due to a nagging left ankle that has bothered the superstar over the past several games out on the floor. At the moment, Doncic is listed as probable and will most likely be a true game-time decision tonight.

Whether or not Doncic can give it a go or not remains to be seen, but Dallas must find a way to continue to play their aggressive ball-hawking defense that gives top the sixth-fewest points per game in the league. Even if Doncic is available for play, he may not be 100% himself which means Dallas must get the best out of almost every defensive possession. At first glance, the Clippers have struggled with consistently scoring each time down the floor, so don't be shocked if the Mavericks are able to force some turnovers and keep Los Angeles off-balanced when it comes to their offensive flow.

Most importantly, it will prove to be vital for Dallas to grab the edge in the rebounding department as they allowed far too many second-chances opportunities on the glass versus OKC. Alas, this cannot be replicated if Dallas has plans on covering the spread as one-point underdogs.

Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread

It didn't seem too long ago when the Clippers were viewed as a contending top-four seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, but there is nothing like a lengthy losing streak that can humble a team in a hurry. Now, with their heads barely above water at 21-21, the urgency has reached an all-time high for an LA squad that is parched for some winning basketball.

On paper, the Clippers need to play better as a team. In the rollercoaster of a loss to the Hawks, LA found themselves down as much as 17 before they took an 11-point lead before faltering in the closing stages of the game as the Clippers could not hit the broad side of a barn in the final minutes of action. While starting off hot against the Mavericks will be extremely important, playing a full 48 minutes of consistent basketball needs to be played to get the Clippers out of their recent losing stretch.

Not to mention, but getting Kawhi Leonard back to full strength will prove to pay dividends not only tonight but in games moving forward. After sitting out the second game of a back-to-back in Minnesota, Leonard returned to the floor by dropping 29 points in a season-high 38 minutes of playing time. As Leonard gets closer and closer to returning to form, expect the Clippers to continue getting names like Ivica Zubac and John Wall involved to take the load off of Kawhi's shoulders.

Final Mavericks-Clippers Prediction & Pick

At some point, the Clippers will snap out of their gruesome funk and tonight's showdown with the Mavericks may prove to be the perfect opportunity. However, Dallas should have enough firepower to get the job done with Paul George and Luke Kennard out for LA.

Final Mavericks-Clippers Prediction & Pick: Mavericks -1.5 (-112)